Hasn't the weather been amazing this weekend Helped me celebrate my birthday all weekend out on the decking overlooking the ducks and geese going about their ablutions in the lake. Debs arrived on Saturday with a grand picnic for us to enjoy, and mum arrived yesterday, with Helen joining us in the sun as well later on in the afternoon. While we enjoyed the sun, Roger and his brother Richard were beavering away on the campervan. Thanks everyone for helping me to celebrate my birthday, and for the lovely cars and presents I received.

Yesterday evening Roger and I cut out wall carpeting and stuck it to the sides of the camper, underneath where the roof folds down. Roger and Richard filled in a gap under the hinged section of the folding sides with thick insulation to bring it out level, so will be warmer or cooler in the van now as required by the outside temperature.

Text from Ivan to say that he and Luda are in Dresden now, and an email from Lisa saying that Eion and her are just about to leave Cologne. Both couple flew in from New Zealand in the last week or so to collect their camper vans - Eoin and Lisa from England, Ivan and Luda from the Netherlands. We'll all hopefully converge on the Polish Ukraine border by Saturday evening, ready to cross over into Ukraine Next Sunday.